Answers to Frequently Asked Questions About...
How to Get Emergency Contraception
How much do emergency contraceptive pills cost?
The cost of emergency
contraceptive pills ("morning
after pills" or "day after pills") can vary a lot
depending on where you get them, so be sure to ask about costs up
front. In the United States, the pills cost anywhere from $35 to $60 at pharmacies, and
an office visit to get a prescription
for them may be anywhere from $30 and up. Planned Parenthoods and other
family planning clinics often use a sliding scale to determine how
much to charge for their services, making it possible to get emergency
contraception at a reduced rate (or even free) if you don’t
have insurance coverage or have a low income.
If you are 16 or under and need a prescription to buy emergency contraceptive pills, one way you can reduce the costs is to ask for a prescription
in advance the next time you visit your health care provider.
(Prescriptions are only valid for a year after the date they are written,
so be sure to ask your provider not to put a date on it. That way,
you can fill the date in yourself if you ever need to get emergency
contraception.) Not only would this eliminate the expense of making
a special visit to get emergency
contraception, it would also allow you to use them as soon as
possible after sex if you need
them. In addition, some Planned Parenthoods and other family planning
clinics will call in a prescription for emergency
contraceptive pills to a local pharmacist so you don’t have
to pay for an office visit.